Spring has sprung and yesterday I turned on the A/C for the first time since fall. In "non-recirculate" mode there is a smell... a moldy left the wet laundry in a bag in the sun smell... it stinks... like dirty dish cloth left on the sink over spring break smell... Are you picking up what I'm putting down here? It stinks! haha... When on recirc I don't smell it. I'm going to run it again today and see if it works itself out but if it doesn't I'm concerned the drain may be plugged... I'm going to have the cabin air filter replaced in a few weeks... Any thoughts ideas on what could cause this or what could remedy it... and why it wouldn't smell on recirculate mode? Happy Friday ya'll. Thanks! Oh... 2011 M37x.

Probably is the cabin air filter. It's a DIY job.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONlbh_t2irs[/youtube]

I replaced the one in my G a few months ago... I guess I could do this one too. Where can I get the right filter? Here's one from Amazon but seems cheap...

http://www.amazon.com/Beck-Arnley-042-2 ... niti%3Am37

eBay. I've purchased multiple filters there for Nissan, Toyota, Honda. Just look for a reputable seller. Work great and a fraction of the cost of OEM.

If you must to have OEM, http://www.infinitipartszone.com/ or http://www.courtesyparts.com/

Rogue One wrote:eBay. I've purchased multiple filters there for Nissan, Toyota, Honda. Just look for a reputable seller. Work great and a fraction of the cost of OEM.

If you must to have OEM, http://www.infinitipartszone.com/ or http://www.courtesyparts.com/

Thank you. I'll swap it out and see if that does the trick. Needs to be replaced either way.

I bought a WIX carbon activated one from ebay for just under $40. Still have yet to put it in, but just as Rogue said, I suspect it's the cabin filter.

Did changing the filter do the trick?. I have the same issue on start up. Slight musty smell. Car only has 7k miles.

I sprayed a can of Lysol into the outside vent and the inside vent both on recirculate and outside air. This will kill any mold growth on the ac condenser. Which replacing the cabin filter won't do. Good luck.

Frog wrote:I sprayed a can of Lysol into the outside vent and the inside vent both on recirculate and outside air. This will kill any mold growth on the ac condenser. Which replacing the cabin filter won't do. Good luck.

I do this too every spring or so...just make sure you have the windows down in the car for a little a while after lol.

Borrowed a car from one of my sisters. Seven year old Honda Civic. She didn't know the car had a cabin filter. Here's how it looked after 7 years and over 148k miles...



Here's a video showing how to clean the duct work. There are a few different products on the market for this job. Lysol or something similar may work as well. However, I've never been impressed with Febreze, and find it too wet for this type of job (we're trying to eliminate moister, which mold and mildew feed upon).

Yeah. there is 'car specific' air cleaners to use. I wouldn't just the same Lysol you use in your home, etc.

Jfpq70 wrote:Did changing the filter do the trick?. I have the same issue on start up. Slight musty smell. Car only has 7k miles.

I'm a little ashamed to admit. The filter is still on a shelf in the garage. I'm going to try to get to it this weekend. The smell has gone away on its own however. I guess it may have just been gunk in there from the winter and has worked itself out. I still need to change that filter... and will... soon. Soonish.

Thanks for your response. Good luck with the filter change.